Landslide: The Top 5 Most Lopsided U.S. Presidential Elections Since World War II

Many presidential elections are close, competitive contests. However, some are extremely lopsided. In election years like these, the presidential campaign becomes an afterthought, as the inevitability of the winning candidate cannot be denied.

There are several possible reasons for a landslide election. One is a popular incumbent. Four of the five elections on this list were won by the incumbent president. Another is when a candidate is perceived as being too extreme or dangerous to be president. In this situation, voters are frightened into voting for the opposing candidate, if only by default. Fatal mistakes committed by a candidate – for example verbal gaffes, scandals, or risky strategic gambles - can also doom campaigns to oblivion.

When all of these elements combine together in the same election, a landslide of epic proportions can occur. Here is a countdown of the top five most lopsided U.S. presidential contests since World War II, based on their Electoral College margins.

Dwight "Ike" Eisenhower

5. 1956: Eisenhower 457, Stevenson 53

President Eisenhower cruised to a re-election victory in a rematch with former Illinois governor Adlai Stevenson, who had been his opponent in the 1952 race. Eisenhower had ended the unpopular Korean War and the nation was experiencing solid economic growth. It didn’t hurt that Eisenhower was a World War II hero and an iconic figure to many Americans.

The main obstacle to Eisenhower’s re-election was concerns over his age and health. The president was 66 and had suffered a heart attack during his first term. However, Stevenson was unable to make significant headway with voters on this issue. Most did not see a valid reason to deny Eisenhower a second term.

On Election Day, Eisenhower emerged victorious in 41 states. He won over 57% of the popular vote.

Lyndon Johnson

4. 1964: Lyndon Johnson 486, Barry Goldwater 52

President Lyndon Johnson was still basking in the afterglow of John F Kennedy’s popularity. The Republicans held a stormy nominating convention that was characterized by bickering between the moderate and conservative factions of the party. The hardcore conservatives eventually won, selecting Arizona senator Barry Goldwater as their nominee.

Like many politicians, Goldwater had an unfortunate propensity for making off the cuff remarks. He infamously quipped that the U.S. should lob a nuclear bomb at the men’s room in the Kremlin. He also made statements about using nuclear weapons in Vietnam and making social security voluntary. Most Americans saw him as too right-wing to be president. They feared that he was a dangerous extremist who would start a nuclear war with the Soviet Union.

The Johnson campaign brilliantly exploited this fear with their famous “Daisy” ad. It featured a little girl plucking flower petals. A countdown is heard, followed by a nuclear explosion. The ad ended with a solemn narrator saying, "Vote for President Johnson on November 3rd. The stakes are too high for you stay home." This was included because the Johnson campaign was worried that complacency among their supporters would lead to a low turnout.

Americans’ fears propelled the president to a lopsided win. Johnson won 44 states, including several that have not been won by a Democratic presidential candidate since - Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming. Goldwater won his home state of Arizona and a handful of southern states.

Ronald Reagan

3. Reagan 489, Carter 49

Few incumbent presidents have been as politically vulnerable as Jimmy Carter was in 1980. The president was unpopular due to a weak economy characterized by high inflation and soaring interest rates. He was also receiving severe criticism because of the Iran hostage crisis. In the primaries, Carter had to survive a primary challenge from Massachusetts senator Ted Kennedy. The president finally prevailed, but there was still profound dissatisfaction within many factions of the Democratic Party. In the general election, Carter attempted the strategy that had worked for Johnson in ’64, portraying his opponent as a dangerous right-winger.

The Republicans nominated California governor Ronald Reagan as their nominee. Reagan mocked Carter’s policies and had several memorable quips at their presidential debates. His skills as an orator and natural charisma helped him win over voters.

Carter’s extreme unpopularity led to the most lopsided defeat of an incumbent president since William Howard Taft in 1912. Reagan won 44 states.

Richard Nixon

2. 1972: Richard Nixon 520, George McGovern 17

Richard Nixon was running for re-election against a divided Democratic Party. Senator George McGovern of South Dakota had been nominated after a long and chaotic convention. He ran a left-wing campaign that most Americans felt was too extreme. McGovern was further weakened when it was revealed that his running mate, Thomas Eagleton, had undergone electro-shock therapy. McGovern dropped him from the ticket, enhancing his campaign’s reputation for ineptitude.

Nixon was able to capitalize on robust economic growth, improved relations with China and the Soviet Union, and perceived progress with the Vietnam War to win a lopsided re-election victory. He was able to shrug off the beginnings of the Watergate scandal that eventually destroyed his presidency.

The combination of Nixon’s popularity and McGovern’s struggles led to an unprecedented landslide. McGovern won only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. Nixon captured 49 states and over sixty percent of the popular vote.

Ironically, Nixon could have easily won the election without any dirty tricks. The Watergate break-in was not only devastating to his presidency, but totally unnecessary as well.

Ronald Reagan

1. 1984: Ronald Reagan 525, Walter Mondale 13

Ronald Reagan had suffered several setbacks during his first term, but by 1984 he was riding high. An economic revival had begun. The high inflation and interest rates that bedeviled Americans in the ‘70s had declined. It was the perfect storm of factors for an incumbent.

Walter Mondale, Jimmy Carter’s former Vice President, was the Democratic nominee. Mondale made two risky gambles that backfired. He made history by nominating a woman, Geraldine Ferraro of New York, as his running mate. Mondale also announced that he would raise taxes if he was elected president, but claimed that Reagan would be forced to do the same. Mondale trailed Reagan by double digits in the polls, but appeared to make some headway in the first presidential debate. Reagan performed poorly, seeming old and confused. This led to concerns about his age and whether he would be able to serve a second term. However, Reagan bounced back in the second debate, famously quipping that he would not make Mondale’s “youth and inexperience” an issue in the campaign. The remark effectively dispelled worries about Reagan’s age and slammed the door on any chance Mondale had to be competitive.

Reagan captured 49 states on Election Day, narrowly losing Mondale’s home state of Minnesota. Mondale also won the District of Columbia. Reagan’s 512 vote margin in the Electoral College is the largest in history. He won nearly 58% of the popular vote.

Other Similar Articles

Great Presidential Campaign AdsThis article profiles six famous presidential campaign ads of the last sixty years. Ads for Eisenhower, Johnson, Reagan, HW Bush, Clinton, and Obama are featured. Includes a link and a poll.

Comments

No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked. Comments are not for promoting your articles or other sites.

sending

Peter

2 years ago

Shouldn't the 1936 election be number one? 523-8

AUTHOR

nanderson500

6 years agofrom Seattle, WA

Thank you! Yeah the internet is full of useful information for my hubs! I have several books about stuff like this as well, so that helps!

Sasha Kim

6 years ago

This is a fantastic and interesting article! I love all the research you put into your hubs. Voting up and awesome!

AUTHOR

nanderson500

6 years agofrom Seattle, WA

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

James A Watkins

6 years agofrom Chicago

I enjoyed your fabulous article. It seems to me that in each of these elections the best candidate won. It is in the closer elections where voters have faltered by voting on either emotions or on getting their snouts into the public trough. :D

Thanks for the good read. Welcome to the HubPages Community!

AUTHOR

nanderson500

6 years agofrom Seattle, WA

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! Yes some of it is surprising!

Shining Irish Eyes

6 years agofrom Upstate, New York

As you stated, the incumbant factor played a large role. Especially during unsettled times.

I have a favorite on this list but I will keep that to myself. I try not to give my political preference.

I so enjoyed this hub. I was unaware of some of these outcomes and rather surprised as well.

gardengirlwest

6 years ago

Very interesting, but in hindsight, we should have stuck with McGovern.

Connect with us

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, owlcation.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)

Google AdSense Host API

This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Facebook Login

You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Maven

This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)

We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.

Conversion Tracking Pixels

We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.

Statistics

Author Google Analytics

This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)

Comscore

ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)

Amazon Tracking Pixel

Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)